Month: February 2010

Train hits five elephants, two dead

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Guwahati, February 28: A goods train knocked down a herd of five elephants crossing the track on the outskirts of the city, killing two of them and injuring three others, including a calf, today.

Assam state zoo director Narayan Mahanta said the herd was crossing the track along the Deepor beel to drink water when they were hit by the train around 12.15 pm. Last year, one elephant had died at the same area.

Two female pachyderms died on the spot. Three others, including a calf, were seriously injured and they were brought to the state zoo for treatment.

Five JeM militants held in Bangladesh

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Dhaka, February 28: Five operatives of Pakistan-based militant organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad have been arrested from various parts of Bangladesh, an official said Sunday.

One of the five arrested is a Pakistani national and the others are Bangladeshi citizens, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) official Mohammad Kamaruzzaman told the Daily Star newspaper.

Four were arrested from Sukanya Tower, opposite Dhaka College in the national capital, while the fifth man was held from a hotel.

The official did not divulge their identifications.

Couple held for duping people of Rs.65 lakh

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New Delhi, February 28: A couple was arrested here for duping several people of a total of Rs.65 lakh on the pretext of providing them educational degrees, police said Sunday.

Rochak Sharma, 28, and his wife Jasmine Sharma, 27, who were absconding for the last several days, were arrested from Lodhi institutional area in south Delhi Saturday, police added.

Acidic substance thrown on woman in Delhi

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New Delhi, February 28: Two unidentified boys on a bike threw some acidic substance on a 29-year-old woman in Delhi Cantonment area Saturday while she was returning home from work, police said Sunday.

“The victim, Vimla Devi, works as a saleswoman in a health drink company in Rajouri Garden area of West Delhi. The incident took place around 7 p.m. Saturday while she was returning home,” said a police officer.

Three Maoists surrender in Orissa

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Phulbani (Orissa), February 28: Three Maoist rebels, including a woman cadre, who were involved in a number of attacks in Orissa’s Gajapati and Kandhamal districts, today surrendered before the police.

“They decided to lay down arms repenting the path of violence …They claimed they have been tortured by seniors,” Superintendent of Police, Kandhamal, Praveen Kumar told reporters here.

The surrendered were identified as Kamla Mandal (22) of Gajapati district, Binayak Parida (30) and Bishnu Parida (21) from Bariguda village in Raikia police station in Kandhamal district, he said.

Woman alleges rape by police constable

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New Delhi, February 28: A 25-year-old woman was allegedly raped by a Delhi Police Constable at her south-west Delhi residence when her husband was away, police said today.

The incident was reported from Dwarka Sector 16 last week.

Constable Manoj Kumar, attached with Crime Branch’s Special Operations Group, allegedly raped her early last week, police sources said, adding Kumar is absconding and efforts are on to nab him.

India, Saudi Arabia crucial for global financial restructuring:PM

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Riyadh, February 28: The role of emerging economies like India and Saudi Arabia would be crucial to the restructuring of the global economic and financial architecture, said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

“The integration of our economies with the rest of the world has created new opportunities but also brought new challenges,” the prime minister said Sunday while addressing the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry during the course of his historic visit to this affluent Gulf nation, one of the world’s largest oil producers and home to Islam’s holiest sites.

Boys enter girls’ hostel in Visva Bharati

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Santiniketan(WB), February 28: Girl students of Visva Bharati University here alleged that boys of another department barged into their hostels early this morning and attacked male boarders who came to their rescue.

The incident that reportedly happened after 1.00 am had its repercussions today as students of Sangeet Bhawan and Kala Bhawan of the University boycotted cultural programmes of ‘Basanta Utsav’ demanding action against boys of Vidya Bhawan, official sources said.

Jawans celebrate Holi on Indo-Pak border

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Octerio BOP(Indo-Pak border), February 28: Miles away from their homes, jawans danced to the beats of dolaks while the forward Border Out Post (BOP) was donned with ‘gulal’ colours as they celebrated Holi.

For a moment, all seemed calm along the International Border (IB) and faces of Border Security Force (BSF) personnel did not reflect the usual tension over rise in infiltration attempts and cross border firing from across the border.

Indian coast guard gets new class of OPV

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Panaji, February 28: The Indian Coast Guard today received the first of the new class of offshore patrol vessel (OPV) indigenously designed in house and built by Goa Shipyard limited (GSL).

The GSL spokesman said that the ship named ICGS Vishwast is the first of the new class of three OPVs being built by the shipyard for the Indian Coast Guard.

“The 93.89 metres vessel is well equipped with state-of- the-art Navigation and Communication equipment automated by an Integrated Bridge System (IBS), thus making the ship a versatile platform,” GSL claimed.

Hamas leader drugged, suffocated: Dubai police

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Dubai, February 28: A Hamas leader who was killed in his Dubai hotel room, allegedly by Mossad agents, was drugged and then suffocated to death, police said on Sunday.

“The killers used the drug succinylcholine to sedate (Mahmud) al-Mabhuh before they suffocated him,” the statement quoted Major General Khamis Mattar al-Mazeina, deputy commander of Dubai police, as saying.

“The assassins used this method so that it would seem that his death was natural,” the statement said, adding that “there were no signs of resistance shown by the victim.”

Israel police storm holy site to quell protest

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Jerusalem, February 28: Israeli police forces stormed the most contentious holy site in Jerusalem on Sunday to disperse masked Palestinian protesters hurling objects at visiting foreign tourists.

The incident was over quickly, but the area remained tense afterward. In the past, violence at the site — known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary — has erupted into deadly battles.

US diplomats to visit China for talks on ties

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Beijing, February 28: China said on Saturday that two US diplomats will visit this coming week to discuss the two countries’ relations, which have been strained recently on several issues.

The statement posted on China’s Foreign Ministry Web site quoted spokesman Qin Gang as saying Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and Senior White House Asia adviser Jeffrey Bader will be in China from Tuesday through Thursday.

No third party role in Indo-Pak ties: Congress, BJP

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New Delhi, February 28: The Congress and the BJP on Sunday made it clear that there was no scope for a third party in India-Pakistan relations.

Commenting on Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor’s remarks on Saudi Arabia’s potential as an interlocutor in India’s ties with Pakistan, a source close to Congress president Sonia Gandhi said: “India’s position on no to third party mediation in India-Pakistan issues is unchanged. There is no change in the Congress position.”

War crimes trial not closed, B’desh tells Pak

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Dhaka, February 28: Bangladesh has disputed Pakistan’s claim that the issue of trying those who killed unarmed civilians during the run-up to Dhaka’s freedom in 1971 was closed after the 1974 tripartite agreement the two nations signed with India.

Preparing to try hundreds of Islamists who sided with the then Pakistan regime, Dhaka wants Islamabad to “apologise” and try 195 Pakistan Army personnel accused of what it calls “war crimes”.

Pak will have to fight war if India doesn’t talk: JuD chief

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Islamabad, February 28: Notwithstanding the recent Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary-level meeting for which India took initiative, JuD chief Hafiz Mohd Saeed has said Pakistan will have to “fight a war at all costs” if New Delhi is not prepared to hold talks.

“India wants war… If India is not prepared to hold talks, Pakistan will have to fight a war at all costs,” Saeed said in an interview to a news channel.

Rajendra Prasad was gentleman of Indian politics: Ansari

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Patna, February 28: Vice-President Hamid Ansari on Sunday described the first president of the country, Rajendra Prasad, as the “gentleman of Indian politics” and said he was the epitome of “simplicity and selflessness”.

“Prasad’s personal way of life and integrity were his great assets and this was for this reason that he was conferred the title of gentleman of Indian politics and prompted Gandhiji to call him Ajatashatru — one who had no enemies,” Ansari said at a function here on Prasad’s 47th death anniversary.

IIMs declare results of CAT 2009

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New Delhi, February 28: The much-awaited results of the Common Admission Test were announced Sunday by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). The scores uploaded on the official website will be the deciding factor for admission to the IIMs and around 100 other management schools.

“IIMs have announced the CAT 2009 scores at www.catiim.in. Candidate short-lists for interviews by each IIM will also be announced on the CAT website as and when the institutes are ready with the list,” said an official statement issued by the institutes.

Saudi can be ‘interlocutor’ between India, Pak: Tharoor

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Riyadh, February 28: Saudi Arabia can be a “valuable interlocutor” between India and Pakistan, Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor said on Sunday and subsequently clarified that he did not mean that Riyadh should be a mediator.

“We feel that Saudi Arabia of course has a long and close relationship with Pakistan but that makes Saudi Arabia even a more valuable interlocutor for us,” Tharoor, who is accompanying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a three-day visit to the kingdom, said.

Senior Cong leader’s son ragged at corporate college in Andhra

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Guntur, February 28: A senior Congress leader’s son was allegedly ragged at a corporate college in Vadlamudi village in the district here, police said on Sunday.

Guntur Zilla Parishad chairman K Vijaya’s son Krishna Kant (22) has lodged a police complaint alleging that around 30 students, belonging to upper caste, ragged him at the college eatery and abused his caste. The victim belongs to scheduled caste category.

The victim has identified three culprits in the First Information Report (FIR), police said.

Student arrested for murdering IIT-Delhi girl

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Shimla, February 28: An IIT-Roorkee student, who escaped after allegedly murdering his girlfriend from IIT-Delhi at a hotel here, has been arrested from Yamunanagar in Haryana, police said today.

Gaurav Verma was arrested from a train at Jiradari in Yamunanagar last night while he was fleeing after allegedly murdering 22-year-old Pragati, a student of textile designing at IIT Delhi, Additional Superintendent of Police, Shimla, A K Dhiman said.

The girl is a resident of Patna while the boy is a third-year student of IIT Roorkee and a native of Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh.

Woman alleges rape by police constable

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New Delhi, February 28: A 25-year-old woman was allegedly raped by a Delhi Police Constable at her south-west Delhi residence when her husband was away, police said today.

The incident was reported from Dwarka Sector 16 last week.

Constable Manoj Kumar, attached with Crime Branch’s Special Operations Group, allegedly raped her early last week, police sources said, adding Kumar is absconding and efforts are on to nab him.

Pak will have to fight war if India doesn’t talk: Saeed

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Islamabad, February 28: Notwithstanding the recent Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary-level meeting for which India took initiative, JuD chief Hafiz Mohd Saeed has said Pakistan will have to “fight a war at all costs” if New Delhi is not prepared to hold talks.

“India wants war… If India is not prepared to hold talks, Pakistan will have to fight a war at all costs,” Saeed said in an interview to a news channel.

MI5 can’t be trusted to tell truth, senior judge suggested

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London, February 28: The credibility of the Security Services was severely damaged yesterday after it emerged that a senior judge had suggested MI5 officers could not be trusted to tell the truth.

In a ruling that raises questions about the conduct and regulation of MI5, the Court of Appeal said officers had suppressed evidence of their alleged involvement in the torture of Binyam Mohamed while he was imprisoned by America.

Japan on alert for possible major tsunami

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Tokyo, February 28: Hundreds of thousands of Japanese households in Pacific coastal areas were ordered to evacuate Sunday after warnings of a possible ‘major’ tsunami produced by the Chilean earthquake.

Shortly before 4 p.m. (0700 GMT), waves of 120 centimetres reached Kuji port in northeastern Japan, the highest observed so far. No victims and serious damages were reported.

Waves between 10 and 90 centimetres were recorded in northern coastal areas. The Meteorological Agency maintained the warnings, saying larger waves could still come.